The vice-president of the Law Society of Singapore, Chia Boon Teck, has resigned following comments he made online about a rape case.

Chia’s comments drew widespread criticism from the legal community, including from Singapore’s Minister of Law, K. Shanmugam, who said he had arguably misrepresented Singaporean norms. 

Chia, who was elected vice-president of the Singapore Law Society in November, made the online comments about a Singapore High Court criminal case involving TikToker Lev Panfilov, who was convicted for raping a woman he met on dating app Tinder, according to local media.

Screenshots of the now-deleted post said “Tinder ain’t no LinkedIn”, and described the victim, aged 30, as “not exactly a babe in the woods”, among other comments.

In response, the Law Society of Singapore posted a statement on LinkedIn Monday (24 March), saying: “Mr Chia’s comments were not made on behalf of, and do not represent the views of, the Law Society.

“We are giving this matter serious consideration in line with our internal protocols” and following due process, “will take further steps as appropriate”, it added. 

The president of the Society, Lisa Sam, subsequently issued her own statement, calling Chia’s comments and views “unacceptable” and asked for his resignation.

She said: “The victim’s morality should not have been questioned… such comments and views are also inimical for a person in a position of leadership to espouse.

“As president of the Law Society, I have asked Mr Chia Boon Teck to resign as vice-president and council member.”

The Law Society published a statement Tuesday (25 March) confirming Chia’s resignation that day and with immediate effect.

“We thank Mr Chia for his service and contributions during his tenure on the council and wish him well in his future endeavours,” the statement added. 

Writing on Facebook, Shanmugam said he had been surprised to read Chia’s comments, adding that he took “a quite different view from those expressed by [Chia]”, noting Singapore was “moving in the opposite direction from the personal views [Chia] has expressed, no matter what institutional position he holds”.

Shanmugam said that move in the opposite direction “has been expressed in changes that we have directed, both to the laws we have in Singapore and the way police conduct their investigations.”

He concluded: “I hope that we will continue to be a society that provides a proper framework to protect women in sexual assault cases. Too often, victims remain silent.

“Lawyers (in particular, those in senior positions representing the legal profession) need to be mindful that when we make statements which minimise or dismiss victims’ concerns, that can have a disproportionate impact on other victims – who may then not be willing to report what happened to them.”

Meantime, Stefanie Yuen Thio, joint managing partner at TSMP Law Corporation, had called for Chia to resign on LinkedIn.

“I invite him to explain himself to the legal fraternity – both men and women. Absent an acceptable explanation, he should step down from the Council of the Law Society,” she said.

Yuen Thio added that she was glad the Law Society had taken leadership in the situation.

Responding to calls for his resignation, Chia had told the Straits Times newspaper: “I have always been providing commentary for crime cases and providing insights on how to prevent such situations, as legal recourse may not always be sufficient,” noting he was a criminal lawyer.

“My comments were meant to encourage reflection on how individuals can better protect themselves in social situations.

“This is not about shifting responsibility but understanding real-world risks,” he added.

Chia’s law firm was contacted for further comment.